Hawke's Bay senior mens wicketkeeper Seb Langridge.
The joke was on Seb Langridge last night but suffice it to say opposing Hawke Cup cricket teams aren't going to be joining in with the laughter just yet.
The Heretaunga Building Society Cornwall Cricket Club premier men's club player on Saturday scored an unbeaten 100 to spearhead Property Brokers Hawke's Bay senior men's representative team into the second round of the cup elimination matches in zone 2 of the Central Districts region.
"He's never scored a 100 for his club. In fact, he tells us the last time he scored a ton was for the Coast Bays under-11 or under-12 so he came through really well," Bay coach Lincoln Doull said as the team drove back home from Queen Elizabeth Oval, Masterton, after a resounding but predictable innings and 67-run victory over Wairarapa.
Langridge, an Aucklander who has been playing for Cornwall for the past five seasons, carved up 12 boundaries from 177 balls for his maiden 100 runs.
This month last year, the wicketkeeper/batsman, who used to flat with fellow club and New Zealand A representative Carl Cachopa, had scored an unbeaten 85 against Poverty Bay in a limited-overs Kirk Cup match at Cornwall Park after the Duckworth-Lewis method kicked in.
"We would have scored around 450 runs if we had kept on batting," Doull said of the Hawke Cup match, after the visitors declared at 316-5 in 91.2 overs on Saturday.
Doull said Langridge was mindful he needed to be more productive with the bat at prem club level.
"As he gets more older and matures a little bit more he'll realise that and that'll mean he'll do well at the higher level, too"
Doull said with fellow Cornwall talent Michael Taiaroa not available due to work commitments this summer, Langridge had put his hand up to fill the void at No 4.
"He wanted to bat up the order and today he's shown he's capable of doing that."
No 5 Graeme Tryon, a right-hander from Craft and Hern Havelock North CC, scored 84 runs from 141 balls, including 10 boundaries and two sixes.
"Tryon's an energetic little cricketer so he works pretty hard and got a couple of big scores in the Chapple Cup tournament," he said of the Bay team who retained the silverware at Nelson Park, Napier, last month against the Michael Mason-coached Manawatu.
Tryon, however, got out out to a soft delivery to miss out on a maiden senior men's representative century when he failed to deposit a full toss, trapped leg before wicket to Wairarapa bowler George Deans.
Bay captain Jacob Smith added 48 runs to the total.
The hosts, with former CD Stag allrounder Seth Rance spearheading their attack, shared the bowling duties with no one claiming more than a wicket but tame otherwise in their frugality stakes.
In reply, Wairarapa were skittled twice in what Doull described as "pretty poor totals".
In their first attempt at replying, Wairarapa managed only 121 runs in 58 overs.
Opener Jamie Holmes top scored with 37 runs and wicketkeeper No 6 Alex Treseder chimed in with 35 but only two other batsmen got past 10 runs.
In their second dig to overhaul Bay's target, Wairarapa could only muster 128 runs in 41.2 overs, Rance top scoring with 31.
For the Bay, CD spinner Ajaz Patel took six wickets while seamer Stevie Smidt and Ben Jackett claimed four a piece in the two innings.
Craig Herrick and Ben Stoyanoff also added to the bowling impetus.
Delighted with the spittle shiners, Doull said they started a little slow on Saturday but after some talks overnight they yesterday adjusted their lengths.
"We were bowling too full so to keep them on the front foot we bowled about a metre shorter and were pretty patient."
The catching was sublime, too, with Smidt claiming six and Stoyanoff taking three.
"All of them were excellent and a couple of them were stunning one-handed catches."
The opposition dropped about seven catches.
The Bay host Manawatu next from Saturday, November 30.